When you are doing your research for your journey around Iceland, you have encountered the name “The Ring road” quite often. Some travelers refer to Route 1 as Iceland’s “circle road” since it loops around the entire island.
So what is the Ring road in Iceland aka Route nr:1 or road nr:1? Well, the short version is: It’s our “highway” that goes around the island. Easy as that!
The more detailed version is: It’s a paved road (most of the time) that goes around the greater part of Iceland, 1,332 km (828 miles). It misses most of the fjords in East Iceland, does not include any parts of the northeast nor any of the peninsulas in the north. No part of the Ring road passes the Westfjords and Snæfellsnes peninsula is also excluded from the Ring road and maybe a third of the Golden circle is part of the Ring road.
The Ring road
So when you have decided to drive the whole Ring road, which way should you choose? Going straight north or starting with the south part? Well, you should let the weather decide for you. If it’s raining/snowing in the north, go south!
If you decide to take the northern route first, you just drive straight out of Reykjavik in an easterly direction. You don’t even have to turn until you get to Borgarnes. By that time, you have already driven an hour of the Ring road. There are not many turns at all on the Ring road. When you reach Lake Mývatn, it doesn’t matter if you choose the southern or northern route but the southern route is much more picturesque. The north road is the part of the Ring road.
If you choose to only drive on the Ring road, you’ll miss out a on many fantastic places. Still there are a few iconic sights along the way- like a few black sand beaches and some of Iceland’s famous waterfalls —but we recommend doing your research to find what you really want to see and experience.
If you venture slightly off the Ring road, you can explore stunning areas and hidden gems like Vatnajökull National Park, home to glaciers, waterfalls, and volcanic landscapes.
Have any questions? You can always mail our staff at [email protected] and ask away.
Life is only the adventure you want it to be in Iceland!
Camping along the Ring road
You will not have a problem finding campsites along the road nr:1. There are plenty of campsites around Iceland. Your problem is to choose!
Camping in Iceland might just be the safest place on earth to camp. The same goes for all the campsites along the Ring road. Iceland travel is made even better by the well-maintained, conveniently located campsites that dot the road. If you choose to come here during winter to camp in a camper van rental, you can safely do that too but then we do suggest you stay at any of the year-around campsites we have here, just to minimize the risk of getting snowed in case you haven’t kept yourself up to date with the weather forecast.
To make sure you are up to date, we suggest you install these travel apps, especially the weather one and the safety app when traveling the Ring road in Iceland off-season
Read more: Campsites in Iceland
When venturing off the Ring road, you might want to try to camp in and around famous movie locations. You can find all the information you need in our blog post Camp like a boss. Why not recreate your own Hollywood movie while you are at it! 🙂
After this blog post was written, the latest Fast and the Furious has been added to famous movie locations here but that took place in the middle of the winter on Lake Mývatn, so you can camp around the lake instead. There are several campsites to choose from.
Speed limits on the Ring road
As Route nr:1 (ring road) goes through villages and towns, the speed limits vary from the lowest to the highest limits. You have to follow the road signs to know what the limits are. This is what the Road Traffic Directorate of Iceland says:
Gas stations on the Ring road
The gas stations in Iceland are your waterholes on the road. It’s where you fill up your Camper van, rinse off the dust, get food, ice cream, bathroom breaks, even relax with locals. In small villages around Iceland, the local gas station often serves as a kind of community center.
Make sure you check out the billboards in these gas stations for there might be something going on in the village you would like to see or take part in. In 99% of all the stations, you can get the typical Icelandic hot dog too. Try to order one “með öllu” which means with all the condiments, a typical order. You can always get updates on road conditions, weather and what to expect ahead of you from the locals.Bridges on the Ring road
There are quite a few bridges along the Ring road and most of them are at least double lane bridges but there still are a few single-lane bridges left. There are always signs (look to the right) telling you you are approaching a single-lane bridge.
Animals on the Ring road
If you are on a road trip here between late spring to September, you will encounter sheep on the road. Everywhere! When spotting sheep on the road, slow down for they are very unpredictable little creatures and can suddenly just run over the road.
Sheep roam free in Iceland and you can find them everywhere more or less—especially near Iceland’s Ring road, where open landscapes often intersect with grazing areas If you are unlucky to hit a sheep, by law, it is your duty to report it to the farmer and you might also be obliged to compensate for the animal.
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